Mar 13th, 2009
Posted by Joel Engardio, ACLU at 2:54pm	National Security

An al-Marri Timeline

Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney with the ACLU National Security Project, talks us through the timeline of one of the more important cases he has worked on: the al-Marri, or domestic enemy combatant case. It asks the fundamental question: Can the government detain you indefinitely without charge or trial? The case has a long timeline with twists and turns through both the Bush and Obama administrations, and a brief time before the Supreme Court. Jonathan explains how it all happened from the beginning.

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Permalink |	National Security

Tags: Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri

1. Paen Says:
   Mar 13th, 2009 at 2:19pm

   How can there even be any debate on this when the U.S.constitution clearly states that there can be no detention without trial.

2. warisbs Says:
   Mar 13th, 2009 at 8:06pm

   Paen, so true!

3. Vic Livingston Says:
   Mar 13th, 2009 at 11:48pm

   TO: TOM PEREZ, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights (staff/colleagues, please forward)

   (NOTE: This post elicited a "held for blog owner" message at the "44" political blog of The Washington Post -- a product of what the writer believes is unconstitutional prior restraint on the part of a rogue government "fusion center" surveillance operation.)

   cc: WHITE HOUSE STAFF; OBAMA CABINET OFFICERS; MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

   cc: NATIONAL PRESS CORPS AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS

   RE: BUSH DOJ LEGAL MEMOS USED TO PROVIDE LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR ONGOING DOMESTIC TORTURE VIA MICROWAVE RADIATION WEAPONRY

   The Bush Justice Department "torture memos," some still secret, appear to have been used to provide legal justification for the covert use of classified, silent microwave radiation weapons on U.S. citizens -- "targeted" under the pretext of the "war on terror" as "undesirables" and "dissidents."

   Victims, including the journalist who authored the articles linked below, say these painful, debilitating and illness-inducing "directed energy weapon" microwave assaults constitute torture and "slow-kill," a military descriptive for prolonged assaults that eventually result in death -- what could be described as an American genocide.

   Victims of these assaults say their family finances are decimated by an array of secret "programs of personal financial destruction" that involve the forced cooperation of private enterprise; surveillance and interception of mail and telecommunications; and the forging of billing, utility, banking and mortgage statements -- what they charge is a process of expropriation and theft by deception.

   Sources say these covert programs were justified by the Bush Justice Department under legal theories that are said to include a suspected "nexus to terrorism" and, according to a source, the legal theory that weapons and/or medical experimentation on U.S. citizens is permissible if subjects are under federal investigation for suspected offenses.

   These microwave weapons assaults have continued under the Obama administration, and are facilitated by a nationwide "extrajudicial punishment network" enabled by federal agencies; local police nationwide; and "community gang stalker" citizen vigilantes fronted by government-funded community policing and volunteer organizations such as Citzen Corps, USA on Watch, and Infragard.

   Operatives of this citizen "army" are said to have infiltrated the U.S. health care system, including hospitals, doctors offices and extended care and nursing homes. Parents of "targeted individuals" are said to have been subject to mistreatment and physical abuse, including suspected irradiation, and psychological harassment, such as vandalism of property, clothing and personal effects.

   Victims charge that these crimes against humanity were not simply the unfortunate byproduct of the "war on terror," but constitute a purposeful genocide-politicide targeting innocent persons by labeling them as "dissidents," "undesirables," "deviates" or "mental defectives."

   The methods and tactics employed by these "programs" resemble those used by the U.S. military in campaigns against civilian "insurgents" in Iraq, and the Vietnam-era Project Phoenix.

   ***

   Victims have asked the FBI/Justice Department to launch a civil rights investigation. They say officials have told them they see nothing to investigate, and hint that victim accounts are delusional.

   Victims maintain that marginalizing the persecuted as "unstable" or "mentally ill" is a tactic being used to cover up crimes against humanity, a highly organized and well-funded social genocide.

   ***

   TEAM OBAMA: WHAT DO YOUR BUSH HOLDOVERS KNOW ABOUT THESE SECURITY-INTEL-REVENUE 'MULTI-AGENCY COORDINATED ACTIONS'...

   * Silent, covert microwave radiation weapons (D.E.W.) assaults on innocent but "targeted" U.S. citizens;

   * Terroristic vigilante community gang stalking, surreptitious home entry, police-tolerated vandalism;

   * Secret federal "programs of personal financial destruction" that have used the IRS as an ideological tool of "social cleansing."

   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/gestapo-usa-govt-fun ded-vigilante-network-targets-terrorizes-u-s-citizens
   http://www.nowpublic.com/world/domestic-torture-radiation-weaponry- americas-horrific-shame

   OR (if links are corrupted / disabled):

   http://www.NowPublic.com/scrivener

4. Mike Says:
   Mar 14th, 2009 at 8:28am

   You people make me sick, you will defend anything as long as it is immoral. As far as letting children leave school to seek medical treatment without thier parents consent, you have got to be out of your mind. It is a parents right and responsibility to know the medical treatment of thier children, to not is negligent. How do you people even shave in the morning without cutting your own throat.

5. TJ Says:
   Mar 14th, 2009 at 5:39pm

   The ACLU is 100% un-american and hates everything about this country. I wonder how the ACLU would react to the Obama administration Re-enacting the "Fairness Doctrine" to hush conservative talk show voices. I would bet you guys would keep quiet about that. Let me guess, they are only civil liberties if you're a liberal.

6. Hawaiian style Says:
   Mar 15th, 2009 at 12:58pm

   Kings, Tyrants, Dictators, and other rulers have the power to imprison their subjects without them having any legal recourse.

   The President of the United States does not. Unless he says he does and does it. Then its up to Congress and the Courts to say his actions are not proper.

   If the Courts and Congress play politics or wimp out as in the past then we must face the fact that we live in a "Constitutional Dictatorship."

   AUWE, AUWE

7. Hawaiian style Says:
   Mar 15th, 2009 at 1:00pm

   Mr. Johathan Hafetz...Thank you sir!!!

8. Howark Says:
   Mar 15th, 2009 at 1:43pm

   What action is now required to prevent this from EVER happening again? The US Constitution clearly states that everyone has the right to face charges and defend him/herself against those charges in court.
   It appears that Bush & Company in effect said that the president is not bound by Constitutional Law, and they were not challenged in that for 7 years!!! Is a Constitutional Amendment needed to unequivically state that the president is not above the law, even in wartime? Does the War Powers Act put the president above the law in wartime? What is going on with this "wartime" stuff anyway? This "war" does not in any way look like WWI, WWII, Korea, or Vietnam or any other war. Is legislation needed to give the Congress the ability to "undeclare war"?

9. Hawaiian style Says:
   Mar 16th, 2009 at 12:51pm

   War is defined as an armed conflict between NATIONS. Our use of the term is simply a political sop to our public.

   When we as a people get mad about something enough the Government declares a war on it. Remember the "war" on drugs?

   As to terrorism we are at war when it is convenient to say that, and not at war when it is not convenient.

   As an example we say we are at war and the President has all these unconstitutional war powers, but then they say we don't have to comply with the Geneva Conventions, which are the rules governing war. Now, if you say that terrorism requires different rules then I say we should negotiate and agree on new rules with the nations of the world.

   What we need is a statue titled "Hypocrisy" built with her lifting the blindfold off the statue of Justice.

10. Hawaiian style Says:
    Mar 18th, 2009 at 1:14pm

    Obviously the economy is doing damage to more than just the financial community and the public.

    It is taking up so much of the news that an item like this is lost. As a result the problems here will be forgotten before any outrage will cause a solution.

11. sick of it Says:
    Jun 23rd, 2009 at 5:19pm

    the ACLU has become the biggest supporter of Islamic Radicalism in the world. You straddle the fence constantly.You tell those of us that are christians that we can not pray on school or have public displays for the holidays.Yet muslim students in colleges are given time for prayers and areas to wash their feet in restrooms. Where do you people get off? If you love these muslims so much,here's a suggestion---go the Iraq,live with them. The AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION--HA! The true Ameicans have no liberties. I wish there was some way to cut off your government funding. Each of you will have to answer for what you have done when the Lord comes back. Oh yes there is a God,and he will deak with each and everyone of you!

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